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The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals – watch performance highlights

The event returned to the AO Arena!

| Manchester |

29 January 2025

The casts of Hercules and Mary Poppins performing at Big Night of Musicals — The casts of Hercules and Mary Poppins performing at The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals, WhatsOnStage

Earlier this week The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals returned for its fourth consecutive year at the AO Arena in Manchester!

The musical theatre-infused concert saw Jason Manford continue hosting duties.

On the line-up were performances from West End musicals and touring shows including Calamity Jane with Carrie Hope Fletcher, alongside the WhatsOnStage Award-nominated new production of Dear Evan Hansen and the UK tour of Jim Steinman’s Bat Out of Hell The Musical. In addition, there were appearances from Here and Now – The Official Steps Musical, Georgina Castle from Mean Girls, and a first look at Disney’s Hercules following the West End cast announcement.

Also performing was Marisha Wallace ahead of her turn as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, the touring casts of Chicago and Mary Poppins, and an appearance from the West End’s Titanique featuring Layton Williams.

There was also a special performance from Michael Ball with the Our Dementia Choir, Daniel Mays united with Manford to perform a number from Something Rotten! and there were showcases from National Lottery-funded performance groups.

WhatsOnStage were reporting live from the event, so keep your eyes peeled for our behind-the-scenes content and interviews. For now, enjoy a highlights reel:

The event marks 30 years of National Lottery support for the theatre and performing arts, having helped support more than 20,000 theatre-related projects to the tune of £1.3 billion. In addition, National Lottery funding has helped restore theatres as well as enabling hundreds of performing arts projects.

The show will be broadcast on television and radio later this spring – with details to be confirmed.